Christmas. It’s the mortal enemy of trees around the world.
Why?
KearnyHub.com says that Americans throw away 38,000 miles of ribbon, buy 2.65 billion holiday cards, and chop down 33 million Christmas trees during the holidays each year.
Guess where all those cards, ribbon, wrapping paper, trees end up after the New Year?
Yep, the dump. Merry Hanaquanzimas, Planet Earth.
On top of that, you don’t even get a chance to be eco-friendly during the holidays since traditional wrapping paper isn’t recyclable.
Yikes!
So what CAN you do to help green that Christmas gift wrapping?
Here are 6 simple ideas…
Environmentally-Friendly Gift Wrap
#1 – Use newspaper.
Newspaper makes wonderful wrapping paper. I wrap children’s gifts in the funnies to make them more festive. For adults, I like to tie up the packages with cloth ribbon, or tape a pine cone to them rather than using plastic ribbons.
#2 – Use children’s artwork.
If you have children, give them paper that you’re planning on recycling and let them decorate the blank side with Christmas or holiday themed art. Then use that to wrap your gifts. Your kids will have fun, and your friends and family will love getting some artwork created by your children. If you’ve already purchased a roll of that paper that kids love to draw on, you can also cut off large pieces for them to draw on and then use that to wrap gifts.
#3 – Use reusable gift wrap.
Consider products like LyziWraps which are recyclable wrapping paper. Ok, they’re kind of more like a gift bag, but with some pretty cool twists that make them wrapping paper/gift bag hybrids. Let’s call them wrapping bags. You don’t use tape or scissors, you simply put the gift inside and tie the ribbon. The great thing about these wraps is that you can use them again and again. The only downside to LyziWraps is the price, since they range anywhere from $8 to $30 depending on the size.
#4 – Use gift bags.
Use holiday bags and tissue paper rather than commercial wrapping paper. The best part is that you can reuse them over and over again for years to come. Simply tie a tag to the bag’s handle with the recipient’s name. You can even make your own holiday bags out of cloth and then use them year after year! But seriously, if you’re not gonna reuse the tissue paper, don’t even bother with it to begin with. Because tissue paper alone is not very green.
#5 – Use gift wrap made from recycled paper.
While recycled wrapping paper is a little more expensive, it’s well worth the expense since you know you’re doing something good for the environment. Bonus points if you manage to reuse some of it.
#6 – Use the old stuff first… it’s already paid for.
Don’t purchase new wrapping paper this year if you still have wrapping paper from the year before. The greenest option is to use up up old wrapping paper first and then use one of the green gift wrapping options in this list. Buying more commercial wrapping paper is not an option.
These are just a few of the great ideas out there for how you can elimate the waste that comes each year when thousands of people buy gift wrapping paper that will only be used once and end up in landfills.
Check out this pic of a dumpster that’s entirely filled with boxes, wrapping paper, ribbons, and other Christmas rubbish.
The wonderful thing about coming up with ways to wrap holiday presents that don’t require commercial wrapping paper is it is such a great opportunity to be creative!
What are some ways that you green your gift wrapping?
More Eco-Friendly Gift Wrap Ideas
- Save 50,000 Trees by Getting Creative with Christmas Present Wrapping
- 36 Green Gift Wrapping Ideas
- 10 Ways To Go Green This Holiday Season
- 8 Ways To Wrap Gifts Without Wrapping Paper
- 30 Fun Ways To Reuse Gift Wrap
My favorite things to write about are topics that have to do with weather, pregnancy, weddings, saving money, living green, and my life with dogs. When I’m not writing, I love to spend time with my husband, read, create 3D artwork and Native American beadwork.
